Video Blog #32: Tony and Nic

Tony and Nic Discuss Fermentation



Tony and Nic sit down to talk about fermentation--that all important part of harvest--for Nic's first video blog appearance. They reminisce about some of their memories associated with pushing the caps, as well as talking about how other people have viewed the natural fermentation process.

Video Blog #14: Tony on the Wine Library

Tony Reveals a "Treasure From the Bottle Cellar"



Tony, owner and winemaker, continues his tour of the wine cellar. In addition to curing salamis with his father, Tony has aged other products in here. Today he reveals one of those products, a 20-year old treasure.

Video Blog #10: Tony on Purity of Food

Tony Talks About Why He Supports Purity of Food



Tony Coturri, owner and winemaker, talks about why pure food is so important to him. Tony also talks about the necessity of "truth in labeling," letting people know exactly what was put into the wine.

Video Blog #9: A Note from Jean Briddell

Jean Briddell Talks About Working at Coturri Winery



Jean Briddell, general manager of Coturri Winery, talks about what she loves about Coturri Winery and her experience with wine. Jean also describes the wine club, talking about how the wines are chosen for wine club. To join the wine club, follow this link: http://coturriwinery.com/wineclub.html.

Video Blog #8: Tony on Biodynamics (Part 2)

Tony Continues His Discussion of Biodynamics



Tony, owner and winemaker, continues talking about biodynamics. Tony talks about the importance of the horn and the ingredients that go into the horn.

Video Blog #7: Tony on '06 Albarello

Tony Talks About a New Release



Tony, owner and winemaker, continues his tour of the bottle library. This time he introduces a new release, 2006 Albarello. Tony also introduces the newly designed label.

Video Blog #6: Tony Talks About LD3 Wine

Tony Talks About One of His Texas Project Wines



Tony, owner and winemaker, reveals another wine in his library, this time a wine he made in Texas. Tony and his good friend Lewis Dickson have started a small winery in the Texas hill-country, not far from San Antonio. Tony talks about some of the differences in making wine in Texas, as well as how these differences change the wines.

Video Blog #5: Tony on Paolo Bea

Tony Talks About One of His Favorite Wines



Tony Coturri, owner and winemaker, continues his tour of his wine library, this time revealing an awe-inspiring Paolo Bea Sagrantino. The Paolo Bea winery, located in Umbria Italy, follows a philosophy compatible with Coturri's, growing and producing wine organically.

Video Blog # 4: Tony on '64 Petite Sirah

Tony Reminiscing



Tony Coturri, owner and winemaker, talks about a wine he made with his dad in 1964 and the ability of natural wines to age.

Video Blog #3: What Makes Coturri Different

What Makes Coturri Distinctive



Tony Coturri, owner and winemaker, explains how Coturri wines are different, describing his organic methods. Organic wine-making produces wines with strong, bold flavors, full of terroir (the French term for "the taste of place"). Tony feels wine is an integral part of a meal, saying "You never eat food without wine; you never drink wine without food."

Video Blog #2: Sulfites

The Second Installment of Tony Coturri's New Video Blog!

Tony Coturri, winemaker and owner of Coturri wines, discusses sulfites and why Coturri Winery doesn't use them. Coturri Winery has never added anything to the wines, sparking the motto "Nothing Added, Nothing Taken Away." Tony also brings up the contentious topic of truth in labeling and terroir, the French term for the "taste" of a certain area.

Video Blog #1: Biodynamic Wines

The first of the Coturri Video Blog is here!



Winemaker and owner of Coturri Winery, Tony Coturri, gives an introduction to what Biodynamic wines are and what the winery is doing to return their growing practices back to the basics. Tony explains the difference between organic and biodynamic growing practices and why it is all just about going back to the basics.

Events To Be Announced

Tony Coturri will be in Boston April 23-May 3rd.

Nic Coturri will be visiting New York April 23- May 3rd.

Tony Coturri will be arriving in Ohio May 19 until May 26.

Stay tuned for more details on their arrivals and tastings!

Check out "Just Grapes"!

This is a documentary about Tony Coturri, the maverick winemaker and owner of Coturri Winery, and his mission to sell sulfite-free, organic natural wines to the New York Market. Posted by 30proof.com

Holiday Food and Wine Pairings from Winemaker Tony Coturri

It’s always a bit of a Headscratcher when it comes time to match wine with Holiday fare.The traditional foods turkey, beef and ham seem to be pretty straight forward.

White wine with poultry, red wine with beef and ham is kind of between the two.
Our cuisine is changing. Our tastes are changing. There is much more emphasis on fresh foods and the preparation is very basic and relaxed. However sometimes, particularly around the Holiday we tend to want richer, more exotic and elaborate meals yet still keep an eye on healthy choices.

There are two basic ways of matching Wine and Food:
Complement or Contrast
Complementing is the easier of the two; rich creamy sauces with beef pairs well with Cabernet Sauvignon or other dry wines such as Merlot, Malbec or blends of the two.

Dessert pairs with sweet-style wines, later picked Zinfandels, ports, and sauternes. Easy... no fuss, or muss.
But… consider wines like a Syrah from a hot climate, that while dry, carries fruitiness… or consider the earthiness of a Sangiovese and the complexity of Pinot Noir…..These wines are are a little more difficult to pour at gatherings.

Here are some contrasting combinations that might be interesting as well as tasty:

Coturri Zinfandels, such as our Estate, Freiberg Vineyards and East Block Chauvet.
A fun match for these offerings is an appetizer of sourdough bread and blue cheeses.
The acrid flavor from the blue cheese balances well with the sweetness of the Zin. The cheese gets creamier and the wine shows more fruit and becomes dry.

Turkey is a meat that contrasts well with Zinfandel. The meat can be a little dry and yet rich from the stuffing. A late-pick Zin will bring those two flavors together.
Orange Duck is yet another perfect match for a Coturri Zin.

Consider Coturri Syrahs: Such as our Crane and Sonoma Solstice....or our Cote des Cailloux, a Syrah blend.
These wines traditionally match well with slow-cooked stews, Cassoulet or grilled poultry, especially duck breast. I would pair a Syrah with a spicy Crab Cioppino, (and when I say Spicy I mean Spicy)
a green salad made from raw cabbage and a sour dough crispy bread such as Bruchetta or Crostini.

Roast a Goose with a nice crispy skin and herbs like rosemary and sage.
Throw in lots of winter vegetables such as kale, cabbage, winter squash and Tuscan Nero Cavolo
(black cabbage).
This is the kind of dish that will set off a Syrah’s flavors .

Beef:
When I get to Prime rib and other beef dishes I still love a Cabernet Sauvignon and the Claret-style wines.
The Coturri Testa, Rustling Ridge, Maclise and Feingold wines are all about beef.
Bring-on the Yorkshire puddings, mashed potatoes with butter, green beans with slivers of almonds and chopped garlic.
One of the ultimate pairings is Beef Wellington, a tenderloin coated with pate or mushrooms, baked in a pastry shell.
Wellington requires a lot of preparation but is well worth the effort. Remember to decant these wines at least an hour before serving.

Also, save a glass or two of the Cab or Merlot to have with dessert. There’s nothing better than a nice dry, fruity, bold wine to enjoy with a piece of decadent chocolate cake.

Coturri’s Jewell Pinot Noir and Freiberg Sangiovese have flavor profiles that are complex and somewhat contradictory. Both are noted for their earthy aromas and tastes, yet both have a wonderful fruitiness. Strong tannins are also a hallmark of both wines.

Wild game birds such as Dove, Chucker or Pheasant, either roasted or grilled, with simple or complicated saucings, work well with these wines.
Try juniper or cranberries in a reduction sauce.
Choose Polenta as an excellent accompaniment for these dishes. The Sangiovese is well suited for pairing with wild red meat. A grilled Vension finished with some fresh tangy olive oil that’s more green than gold in color- gives you the classic Steak Florentine.

There’s one dish that is magic with Pinot Noir and that is Mushrooms, Sweetbreads and cream sauce in a puff pastry. This dish has it all…..the earthiness of the mushrooms, the sweetness of the sweetbreads and the cream sauce for the tannins in the Pinot.
I hope these pairings I have shared will entice you to try one.

Closing notes and well wishes from Tony…..

The Holidays are always a time of reflection.
Every year has its good times as well as it’s bad.
Both have to be experienced and understood.
Here's to all of our new friends and to those lost along the way.
May 2008 get you a little further down the road you want to be on.

The perfect gift for the Holidays from Coturri Winery

What is a more perfect gift than Wine ?

This Holiday Season, consider giving the gift of wine to Friends and Family by signing them up for the Coturri Wine Club.

A Subscription to our Wine Club is a gift that lasts throughout the year
and is both a great value and way to give your loved ones that perfect gift.

Here’s how : http://www.coturriwinery.com/wineclub.html

All Photos © and courtesy of: Mike Zakowski

The Harvest of 2007

Winemaker notes from Tony Coturri

2007 was a very difficult, long and rewarding Harvest.
The weather was extremely variable and cantankerous.

We saw severe heat (ten days in early September) and 3 rain periods-the last one stopped picking for 8 days mid-way through October. The yields were down, the bunches and berries were small and the sugar levels generally lower than the last few years.
Vineyards that typically had to hang the fruit till 26 or 27 % sugar, came in ripe this year at 25%.

We had long hang time with the rains and the coolness after the storms.
These cooler temperatures carried over to the fermentations.
Generally the ferments were cooler and longer.
Few fermentations got above 85 degrees and 10 to 18 day fermentations were not uncommon.
The colors were dark due to the smaller berries.
This years young wines show good fruit characteristics, ripe acids and clean aromas.
Our first Harvest (Jewell Pinot Noir) was on September 6th our last pick was the 29th of October and the last pressing was the 12th of November.
A long season !!!

Tony on Wine TV

Tony has been featured on the program Wine TV. Here is some information from the Wine TV web site :"We are very lucky to have Tony Coturri of the legendary Coturri wines here with us today. Gary Vaynerchuk tastes through these “true” wines and is stunned by them. Coturri winery is very famous for their farming and the approach to vineyards." You can watch it here. Or you can click on the image above to see it in full-screen.

Coturri in TIME

"Tony Coturri, a co-owner of the Coturri Winery in Glen Ellen, Calif., began making natural wines 27 years ago and doesn't use even the sulfites that most experts think are needed to preserve wine. He's so devoted to the natural ethos that he is pushing to have ingredients listed on wine labels. "I believe that wine is best at its most basic--crushed grapes, fermented, pressed into barrels and then bottled," he says. "Nothing added, nothing taken away."

Fans insist that there's nothing faddish about those wines. Joe Dressner, a New York City--based importer specializing in natural wines (or, as he likes to call them, "real wines"), says people buy his wines because they like what is in the bottle. "It's a sensory preference, which prefers nature to technology. This is not about being a purist. We simply feel the wines taste better."



Read the rest of the aticle!